Learning Euskara can be a daunting challenge as it is simply so different from English, Spanish, or French. During Franco’s time, the use of Basque was discouraged or even outright forbidden and this led to the decline of the language. However, this also motivated people to create new institutions, new avenues, new places for people to learn Basque. These euskaltegis became a key part in the effort to preserve and promote the language.

• Euskaltegi literally means “Basque-place” – a place to learn Basque. Euskaltegis target adults that want to learn the language. There are two primary types, public and private. The private euskaltegis are usually associated with a federation, such as Alfabetatze Euskalduntze Koordinakundea (AEK). The public ones, usually associated and funded by individual towns, are called Udal Euskaltegiak (udal means town or city council). A list of Udal Euskaltegiak can be found here. HABE – Helduen Alfabetatze eta Berreuskalduntzerako Erakundea or the Institute for Adult Literacy and Re-Basqueization – also has a list of Euskaltegiak in Euskadi.
• Euskaltegis where people board at the school and essentially immerse themselves in the Basque language 24/7 are called barnetegis – “barne” means boarder. Courses are often about a month, though they can be as short as 12 days, and students often live on site, with every interaction in Basque.
• There are more than 100 Euskaltegiak around the globe. Of course, most are in the Basque Country, with most of those being in Hegoalde, but there are Euskaltegiak in other parts of the world.
• Schools specializing in teaching adults the Basque language have existed for at least 100 years. In Nafarroa, they were called “Cátedras vascas” o “Academias de la lengua vasca.” The Spanish Civil War disrupted so many things, including these schools. In 1950, the Diputación Foral de Navarra created the first public euskaltegi in Pamplona, the Academia del Euskera. Ulibarri Euskaltegi of Bilbao, created in 1975, is the oldest professional euskaltegi in the Basque Country.
• The first modern Euskaltegiak created in the 1960s specialized in night classes for adults. They hit their peak in the 1980s and 1990s where some 44,000 people learned Basque at an euskaltegi. However, enrollment has dropped since then, possibly as other avenues to learn Basque arose.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Euskaltegi, Wikipedia; Euskaltegi, Wikipedia